African-American Band Music and Recordings, 1883-1923 [web presentation]

Title

African-American Band Music and Recordings, 1883-1923 [web presentation]

Date Created

Span: 1883-1923

Language

English

Form

web presentation

Abstract

Drawing on material from the Library of Congress copyright deposits, this special presentation offers popular music by African-American composers for two types of instrumental ensemble: for band and for what musicians call "theater orchestra" or "hotel orchestra." All of the printed music comes from published sources--there are no transcriptions from recordings--and all of it is in the form of instrumental parts, ready for performance. Also featured are vintage sound recordings of music of African-American composers and performers, and biographical essays on composers such as Eubie Blake, Robert Cole, Gussie L. Davis, R. Nathaniel Dett, James Reese Europe, and Bert Williams.